Broncos Come Up Short Sunday

Sunday, February 16

Boise, Idaho

2:00 P.M. MT

Boise State

17-10,9-6Mountain West

San Diego State

26-0,15-0Mountain West

San Diego St.

Boise St.

2/16/2020 4:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Boise State Postgame Notes Boise State Postgame Quotes

BOISE, Idaho - Boise State men's basketball saw its 11-game home win streak come to an end and No. 4 San Diego State remained undefeated with a 72-55 win over the Broncos Sunday, at ExtraMile Arena. Justinian Jessup scored 22 points and helped Boise State cut the deficit to eight with 10 minutes to play, but the Aztecs used a 22-8 run over the next eight minutes to close it out.

The Aztecs (26-0, 15-0 MW) made their last six field goal attempts and shot 55.6 percent from the floor for the game. The Broncos (17-10, 9-6 MW) committed 15 turnovers, which led to 18 San Diego State points.

"We didn't get it done, straight up," Jessup said. "They outplayed us in basically every facet. It's really disappointing."

Jessup scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half, including seven during a 10-0 run that saw Boise State claw within eight at 50-42. The Aztecs responded by making nine of their next 11 shots and silencing the sell-out crowd. The game was played in front of 10,651 fans - the 25th-largest home crowd in Boise State history.

"They're an impressive group," Boise State head coach Leon Rice said of San Diego State. "Their discipline on the defensive end was extraordinary and it was a little tougher for us to score than it was for them. We didn't give them too much space in the first half, but they made some of those. It's a game of making shots and they were able to do it."

Derrick Alston, Jr. kept the Broncos in the game in the first half. Alston scored nine of his 12 points before halftime, including a driving layup to make it a four-point game at 25-21. The Aztecs finished the half on a 15-5 run and led 40-26 at the break.

The loss is Boise State's first at home in Mountain West play. The Broncos are now 9-6 in conference games with three to go, one of five teams with at least nine league wins. The top five teams at the end of the regular season will earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Championship, while the remaining six teams will play in the opening round.

"We just have to keep playing and keep working," Alston said. "You go through valleys where stuff gets tough, but you just have to keep fighting and at the end of the day we have a lot of fighters in our locker room."

Boise State hits the road to take on San José State Wednesday. The Broncos will return to Boise for their final home game of the regular season Sunday (Feb. 23), against New Mexico. Boise State will honor its five seniors prior to tipoff. Tickets can be purchased by visiting BroncoSports.com/tickets, calling 208-426-4737 or stopping by the Boise State Athletic Ticket Office on the west side of Albertsons Stadium.